Four Deaths

Laduga has many myths that show their gods overpowering those of other faiths, usually in the contexts of forcing conversion to Laduga on the behalf of a prophet. However, some are far more devastating, and in fact these are often meant to sent a more frightening message than that which is traditionally preached: while many choose to focus on the mercy and love of the gods when discussing them and attempting conversion, these myths focus on a darker aspect of them; their wrath; their fury; their terror; their capriciousness. No myth exemplifies that better than the Four Deaths of the Nbundo, which not only shows just how powerful and cruel the gods can be, but also establishes how the Nbundo River Basin as we know it today came to be according to Lagugai teachings.

Summary

Part of the tales of Feirefiz, the story takes place shortly after the formation of the Ladugai practices and teachings, under the guidance of the gods with Feirefiz acting as their voice and hand. He commands that all the people's of the Nbundo relinquish their claims to the Lingala and Ibada and swear fealty to the Ladugai gods, but few do. The priests of the heathen gods demand a show of power to prove these gods are real and claim their gods will make this the greatest time of the year. The gods give several but the priests are not impressed and they declare the Ladugai gods falsifications of their gods. The gods warn Feirefiz to prepare his people so that if they are faithful they will be spared from four deaths that will scorn the land so irrevocably that if the heathen gods do exist they will be killed along with their worshipers in uncountable numbers. Feirefiz tries his best to warn the peoples and beg their conversion, but they attack him and he is forced to flee. And so each of the highest gods- Ctungu, Cpaiga, Lgoba, and Ctiga -brought down a death upon the land.

Death of the Sky

And so I, God of the Sky
bring a death upon the land;
No rain shall fall
even in the strongest of storms._{-Deaths 43:17}

For the first death, Ctungu, god of the sky, did not let it rain and so no crops could grow without the aid of the rivers. For a moon and a half, not a single drop touched the earth, causing crops to struggle and many to starve. When storms did fall, there was no rain: only dusts, heavy winds, and lightning were found in these storms. The pagan priests claimed their gods could do the same, but every priest that tried was struck by lightning and the weather only remained poor for the non-Ladugai.

Death of the Earth

And so I, Goddess of the Earth
bring a death upon the land;
The soil shall be dry as bone
from which no crops shall grow._{-Deaths 54:13}

The second death was brought on by Cpaiga, goddess of the earth, who dried the soil to desert conditions over night. No crops could be grown, except by the Cunga-Mali, who remained loyal Ladugai and so were rewarded with bountiful harvests. In addition to the lack of crops, there was also no grazing land for herds, except where the Cunga-Mali went, where the grass grew instantaneously. It was not just livestock that were starving though, as wild predators turned to the pagans for food in the wake of their prey dying. The Cunga-Mali with their steel and walls were spared from the wild animal attacks.

Death of the Water

And so I, God of the Water
bring a death upon the land.
Wherever there is water to drink
shall be so violent that no one can sip of it._{-Deaths 67:12}

Third among the deaths was the doing of Lgoba, god of the water, who caused such violent flooding that the water could not be routed and the southern villages, who were still scornful of the Ladugai gods, were flooded and many drowned. Entire villages were swallowed by water and what was once the convergence of two deltas is now a lake so large the other shore could not be seen from either side. These people did not know how to farm, but the faithful Cunga-Mali made great platforms of soil from which they could farm atop the lack.

Death of Reprieve

And so I, Goddess of Death
make so that these deaths will last.
Each death shall happen every year hereafter
and there shall be no salvation from them for those unholy._{-Deaths 78:5}

Forth and most potent among the deaths was caused by Ctiga, goddess of death and afterlife, who cursed the land so that each of the previous deaths shall return every year. Most notable in this story, the previous three gods believed this to be overly cruel and abusive to the pagans, but Ctiga stared into the gods and they fell silent, implying that she has a power over the other gods which is common in Ladugai scripture. She then takes a piece of each of the gods and binds them to their respective deaths, giving it permanence over the Nbundo. The few remaining pagan priests were driven to madness as their prayers fell on deaf ears and their followers abandoned them by the thousands, joining Feirefiz under the Ladugai gods.

Telling / Prose

Epic of Feirefiz

Related Ethnicities